Page 6 of Bossy Romance
He laughs. “Hover-bags, Nova. Hover-bags. It’s the next big thing.”
“Is this one of those situations where I’m expected to humor you or can I be honest and remind you that nobody is asking you to reinvent the wheel.”
His eyes glimmer. “People don’t know what they want until you give it to them.”
“That applies to what theydon’twant too, you know. Sometimes, it takes getting something to realize you don’t want that thing at all.”
“Pessimist.”
“Feel free to lead the marketing campaigns if you’re so confident.”
He scowls. “You play dirty.”
“I’ll get you in front of the camera one way or another, Harrison.” I take a sip of the champagne. It’s bubbly in my throat. “You can’t hide who you are forever.”
“As long as I have you, I’m not worried about anything.”
A strange, strangling sensation fills me.
I glance down. “It’s your business, even if I’m running it.”
“Nova, I’d prefer to participate in these competitions every year than own the business. You know that.”
My smile is strained. I finish off the rest of the champagne. “I saw you talking to the second-place winners. You found our newest engineers?”
“Their robotic arm was brilliant.”
I shake my head. “You have a serious thing for robot arms.”
“They’re cool. What else can I say?”
“I liked them too. I’ll offer them positions on Monday and have their lab ready by Wednesday.”
“A private lab? You must really like them,” Adam says with a grin.
“Medical technology is a booming industry. We need legs in a commercially viable market, especially when our brave and bold leader starts skipping down rabbit holes.”
Adam coughs. “Now you’re just being mean.”
My phone vibrates. I glance down with a smile on my face, but the smile disappears and my entire body goes stiff when I see who’s calling.
Lyra.
“Who is it?” Adam asks.
My fingers close over the phone and I turn it so he can’t see the screen. “No one. I’ll head out now.”
“Come with me. I’ll take you to the after-party.”
“If the contestants see us together—”
“Their first thought will be that I own the company? That’s a big leap.”
I shake my head delicately. “I’m not going to the after-party.”
Adam looks stricken. “Why not? Are you not feeling well?” He moves as if he’ll put his hand on my forehead.
I jump back on instinct.